I have a design question that has been waiting 4 years for an answer!  We live in 1970’s bi-level split. You walk in the front door and practically slam the door into the stairway–seriously, you can’t stand at the door and open it at the same time!  Space issues aside, we’ve got massive amounts of glass in that space. The door is standard size, and bordered by glass on the sides and top. I’d love some help making the most of it!

The upper glass used to be goldenrod with circles imprinted. We replaced it with 3/4 inch reeded glass. The side panels are just flat glass. They are hiding behind some panels on pressure rods to give us a bit of privacy and a bit of insulation in these no-degree (it was 10 below this morning) weather days.  ~ Ellen

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Good move replacing the 70s golden rod glass Ellen! I love the reeded glass.  The problem as I see it, aside from the lack of standing room, is lack of continuity.  You’ve got the door, you’ve got the curtains and you’ve got the reeded glass — and they are all large elements in a small space.

I think there are a number of products you could use to unify the space, depending upon your budget and taste.  In the picture below I covered the windows all in the same thing thing to show how using all of the same product makes the door and windows read as a whole. You could use shutters, matchstick blinds, duette shades or simple tension rod sheers. I would probably look for something with a texture and something that would allow a little light through.

The other thing that might help open up the space visually, is to remove the short wall that meets the floor and the first few steps and put in a railing and balusters to match the balcony. 

“I want to get rid of the vertical blinds on my sliding glass door.  I HATE VERTICAL BLINDS.  I also don’t care much for regular drapes.  I was wondering what you would suggest I replace the blinds with since I need to have the versatility of having the glass door covered at night and open in the day.  We also have a dog who goes out that way … so easy in and out is also a must. “

 ~ Iowa Mom

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Dear Iowa Mom,

I’m not a huge fan of vertical blinds either. Aside from the fact that they scream “corporate office” there is all that flapping and swishing that happens anytime they are disturbed in the slightest. 

Hunter Douglas has a product called Vertiglide which is a cellular shade, only on a track.  One thing I really like about the product is that it’s sleek and swish-free and it does not have the tangle of pulls and cords that you get with regular vertical blinds.  But, it’s not especially cheap if you’re on a budget. You can expect to pay anywhere from $300-$500 or more depending upon the size and level of product you choose. 

I checked out a number of other products for sliding glass doors from plantation shutters that stack back to sliding bamboo panels — but frankly, they all seemed a little cumbersome to operate and none provided the clean look that I like.

I know you said you didn’t like drapes, but I think they are your best option because:

1) Pinch pleat drapes on wooden rings hung on a substantial wooden rod with beautiful finnials at either end will bring the eye upward to an otherwise uninteresting space and add a dash of architechtural interest.

2) Depending on the fabric you choose, drapes are most likely the cheapest option, even custom made.

3) Fabric is a great way to warm up a room, reduce noise and bring personality, color and texture to a space.

4) Drapes can be pulled back to one side, even beyond the door if there is enough wall space, and be completely out of the way all day long, and then pulled across for privacy as needed - mechanically simple and highly functional.

5) Drapes are easy enough to change out as the season or mood changes — sheer and light for summer, heavier for winter.

Any other window treatment ideas for a sliding glass door for Iowa Mom?

Kimberly writes:  “I just bought muslin curtains from Ikea that are unbleached and lined for our master bedroom.  Any ideas on how I can get color on them? In their natural state they pretty much blend in with our builder blah walls.”

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Kimberly, I must first ask this: Did you not remember what color your walls were when you bought the curtains?  And can you take them back?  Oh who am I to talk.  I recently bought a tapestry that doesn’t fit on any wall in my house or match any of the colors.

If your answer is no and no, then keep reading.

You might consider painting the walls.  Against color, those curtains will really stand out nicely. 

The other thing you could do is embellish the curtains.

There are number of ways to do this.  You can add a two to three-inch band of fabric to either the inside or outside vertical edge of the panels and then using the same fabric make three-inch tie backs.  You could also do this at the bottom, and that is kind of a popular style right now, but it’s not going to visually help you much in terms of adding color to the space since it is below eye level.

If you really want to take it a step further you can add some fringe on top of the vertical banding, although that much fringe would really jack up the cost and at that point, you might be better off having some curtains made.  Locally, I can have lined curtains made for about $22 a panel.  If you have any fabric outlets in your area and don’t mind bargain hunting, you can sometimes get custom drapes cheaper than ready-made.

Another way to bring some personality to your drapes is to add either a bustle swag valance  (which is also sometimes called a loop top waterfall or loop top crescent valance) to each panel - or - directly sew a 12-14 inch valance overlay at the top of each panel in a fabric that coordinates with your bedspread and other things.  Add fringe of course because a life without fringe is not a life worth living.

If you don’t want to sew your own swag bustle valance, I found this one to the left on-line at Wal-Mart of all places for about $14. You would need two, one swag for each panel.

In addition to any embellishment you might do, I think adding a woven wood shade behind the curtains would add some interest and texure and another spot of color.  They are fairly inexpensive and you can get them at Lowes or Home Depot or on-line.

What I would not do is dye them.  I have never had any luck dying anything since I did batik in high school art class.  I, personally, would try to return them and get what I wanted rather than to take the risk of dying brand-new curtains.

Other ideas?